Former St. John’s Park Area

This square was once a fashionable private garden bounded by Georgian rowhouses and St. John’s Chapel (demolished in 1918), a replica of London’s St. Martin-in-the-Fields. In 1867, Cornelius Vanderbilt purchased the park from Trinity Church and constructed a freight depot for his Hudson River Railroad. Though the depot was demolished in 1927 to make way for the Holland Tunnel exit, the architecture here still reflects its influence. At the turn of the 20th century, commercial enterprises built structures where the homes had been, seeking proximity to the depot. 135 Hudson Street is striking in its simplicity, with Romanesque arches, exposed iron anchors and a painted sign on Beach Street. 145 Hudson Street, an Art Deco behemoth, features vast walls of multi-paned windows. 22-28 and 30-32 Ericsson Place, designed in the Renaissance Revival and Romanesque Revival styles, respectively, were built for the Merchants’ Refrigerating Company and extend through the block to North Moore Street. Each site is located in the Tribeca West Historic District.